A lot of people like to wait until the new year to get their ish together and work on health and fitness goals. There’s no better time like the present so why not get your butt in gear and start now so that by this time next month you’ll be ahead of the game.

You know that saying about summer bodies are made in the winter…well they weren’t lying! You may be thinking its entirely too cold to even thinking about wearing a bikini or that cute dress next summer but before you know it you’ll look up and be like I spent all winter living like a sloth and now I’m paying for it. We all know that eating right and exercising are what you are supposed to do, but sometimes you just get in a rut and then it’s “Oh I’ll get back on track tomorrow” or “I won’t eat that again”. Well the time has come and it means no more excuses. So if you’re like me, meaning human, then you can still get back on track!

Ok so I’m being a little dramatic when I say Tough Mudder tried to kill me….but I’m sure I saw my life flash before my eyes at least twice.

Back in July I shared a post full of Tough Mudder Training Tips. Guess who didn’t take their own advice and was so out of shape it wasn’t even funny! I seriously thought I was gonna throw up a few times but in the end I survived and now I want to share my experience as a 40+ out of shape REAL mom! I mean heck I always keep it real around these parts but I’m gonna be extra real today! LOL

This year’s Tough Mudder in Nashville was held on the grounds of the Nissan Stadium. When I arrived I was surrounded by so many amazing people ready to take on the obstacles. But as I walked around I kept thinking…where the heck is the mud??? Well the owners of the stadium were like “Ain’t no way in **** y’all are gonna tear up our grounds with mud and all kinds of foolishness.” So it was more of an asphalt/dirt/grass Tough Mudder. But in the end if worked out and I didn’t have to worry about where I was gonna rinse off so I didn’t leave my car looking like I’d been playing in a swamp all day.

Mid August in Nashville can feel like a moist sauna on a good day so I was happy that the weather had decided to cooperate and wasn’t quite as humid. There were a ton people in attendance and the races were done in waves. We started around 10am and we finish around 11:30am. Now had I done EVERY obstacle my arse would have easily been there until 3pm…no lie! One of the obstacles was like the monkey bars where you basically go hand over hand. I looked at it and was thought I might give it a try but knew in the end I’d basically look like this.

A few days ago I shared that I’ll be doing my first Tough Mudder…lawd help me! Luckily Eric “ERock” Botsford, ToughMudder‘s Trainer and Warmup Emcee has provided me with some excellent tips on getting prepared. The Nashville event will be a 5K but I think these tips will work great for anyone training for any type of sport competition.

Training Q&A

What’s the number one piece of training advice you’d give a newbie that’s training for Tough Mudder virgins?When training for a Tough Mudder, people often forget that you are not only training to conquer the obstacles that are out there, but also the 10-12 mile run that goes along with it. A lot of people focus on the obstacles and forget that there is a fair amount of running as well, so it’s important to incorporate a healthy dose of both endurance and strength training into your regime. Whenever you can, get outside and train, whether it is in your local park or you head out on the trails, it is beneficial to run on the terrain that you will be likely participating on. Tough Mudder events are about teamwork at the end of the day, so train with a friend or partner whenever you can to keep each other accountable and motivated. The motivation of having another person there will help guarantee you get to the gym or get outside to get the workout in.

Do you think beginner runners could run TM? How many months before the event should I start training?Yes, beginner runners can absolutely run in a Tough Mudder – you should start training ASAP. With the right training, preparation and mental grit, we believe nearly anyone can do a Tough Mudder. If you’re on the fence about doing the 10-12 mile Tough Mudder Full, or if obstacles with ice cold water or electricity aren’t your thing – we get it. We’ve recently introduced the Tough Mudder Half, which is a 5-mile version, designed to provide a more accessible challenge, without some of the more daunting obstacles you may have heard of. This is a great opportunity for those new to endurance sports or on the fence about the Tough Mudder Full.

Trail running is a great way to prepare for Tough Mudder because the terrain at events is nothing like running on pavement or the treadmill. Keep in mind that you’re not training for a marathon, and it’s totally okay if you walk between obstacles; you’ll have plenty of time to rest between obstacles, so work on your sprints and interval running instead of focusing on grinding away on long distances. One of the great things about Tough Mudder is that it’s not a race, so take time in between obstacles to talk with your team, get to know and give a helping hand to fellow Mudders, and rest so you can conserve energy to enable you to finish the course and crush the obstacles.

Finally, don’t forget about that upper body strength as well. Not only will you need your legs to carry you, your grip strength is needed for many of our amazing obstacles. Find a pull up bar and get to work. [Read more…]

This past January I decided to do a 30-Day Vegan challenge with my oldest daughter. Back in December one of my friends said she was looking for some people to be a support system for a 21-Day Vegan Challenge starting the following month. I’m always down for a challenge and decided that this sounded like something I’d love to do. During December to help make the transition a bit easier I did a 21-Day Smoothie Bowl Challenge. I seriously think that made the vegan challenge so much easier. The funny part of the challenge is the friend that mentioned it…never did start! LOL

Veganismis a type of vegetarian diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients. Many vegans also do not eat foods that are processed using animal products, such as refined white sugar and some wines.

Vegan refers to either a person who follows this way of eating or to the diet itself. That is, the word vegan can be an adjective used to describe a food item, as in, “This curry is vegan“, or, it can be used as a noun, as in, “Vegans like cookies, too.”

The first week or so I tried to stick pretty much to a meal plan that I found online. I figured it would make my life easier but it ended up just being a bunch of things I couldn’t eat. I’m allergic to avocado, melons, sometimes banana and a few other random azz things. I think avocados are in about 99% of the recipes that I came across…LOL! After a week of eating oatmeal and trying to make meals that turned into fails I decided to search out more things on Instagram. That became my savior!

So after a day of literally stalking folks on Instagram I found my tribe! I’d seen stuff by Peta for a vegan starter kit but just like the natural hair police some of that stuff was just too much for me. I’m all about eating better and living a healthier lifestyle but I’m not one for shaming those that eat food that contain animal products. I had joined a group on Facebook too hoping to just get recipes ideas and tips and some of those folks took veganism to the extreme. So I politely rolled up on out of there!